Merry Christmas Jeff Tracy
by Chrissy Calavicci
Summary: A little short fic to wish my FFN buddies a Happy Christmas! Based off my Thunderbirds series of stories, John and Kat are trying to make Stella's first Xmas memorable. Jeff is having a hard time coping with memories.


**A/N: Just a little short Christmas fic. I hope you enjoy!**

Christmas was never a really big deal on Tracy Island. They spent the day together, a couple presents here and there and a Christmas dinner, but they never went overboard. Jeff usually spent most of the day trying not to miss Lucille and the boys tried to spend most of the day keeping their father smiling. It was a hard time on the family, no matter how long it had been.

This year was different however. Stella was here now and John seemed very adamant about making it a wonderful Christmas for her. His brothers had chuckled and tried to explain that Stella wasn't even four months old and wouldn't even remember, John just shook his head. "But it's still her first Christmas." He smiled.

Katherine and Lady Penelope were in the kitchen. Katherine was baking a cake and attempting to teach Lady Penelope the same. Lady Penelope scowled, "Why can't we just get someone else to do this?"

Katherine rolled her eyes and smiled, "Because it's fun." She took the beaters off of the mixer, "Here."

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"Lick it!" Katherine laughed.

"Lick it? It's just batter."

"Come on Lady P. I know you're human! You MUST have licked cake batter off the spoon at least once in your life!"

Jeff walked into the kitchen, "Is that cake I smell?"

"See?" Katherine laughed, "Every man loves cake."

Jeff eyed the beater Lady Penelope had, "Are you going to lick that?"

"NO!"

He shrugged, grabbed the beater from her hand and left the room. Katherine giggled, "See? Just like a big kid!"

"I've never seen him act like that." Lady Penelope said.

"Cake batter should be an illegal drug. That and cookie dough. No normal person can resist it!"

"Are you saying I'm not normal?"

Katherine shrugged. Lady Penelope narrowed her eyes and grabbed the beater Katherine held, "Well, now you can't have any." She smiled as she licked it. She didn't say anything for a moment and then sighed, "Do we actually have to bake this? Or can we just eat the batter?"

"I heard that!" John said as he ran in, "Do I get a spoon?"

"Me too!" Virgil and Gordon seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Now look what you started." Katherine grinned.

* * *

Christmas day was getting closer. Alan had come down from Thunderbird 5 for a few days to be with the rest of the family. It was the only time of year that Jeff allowed the Space Station to be unmanned. Alan watched as everyone seemed to make a fuss over Stella. The only person who seemed to be down was Jeff. He frowned at the fact that no one else seemed to notice.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Jeff asked as he watched Katherine and Lady Penelope decorate the tree.

"No dad," Alan smiled, "that's a girl thing. They'd just yell at me."

"Hm." Jeff shrugged, "Well, your brothers are setting up the lights...if you dare help them."

"They haven't done that in years." Alan said, "I'll bet Scott breaks his leg." He sighed, "I'd better go make sure they don't hurt themselves too much."

Jeff watched his youngest leave the room, then he walked up to Lady Penelope and Katherine, "You girls aren't going to hurt yourselves are you?"

Katherine laughed as she stood on the chair, trying to put an ornament near the top. Lady Penelope stepped off her chair and looked at the tree, "It looks a little crooked." She commented, "Perhaps you could fix it Jeff?"

_Jeff watched as Lucille eyed the tree suspiciously, as if it might start doing something a tree shouldn't do. "It looks kinda crooked Jeff." she smiled, "Think you can fix it?"_

_"Lucy, I'm not fixing that tree again." he shook his head, "I've fixed it about five times already."_

_"Please daddy!" John said, "We can't let it fall on Santa!"_

_"See daddy?" Lucille smiled, "We can't let it fall on Santa!"_

_Jeff looked at the tears in a then three year old John and then at the big grin on his wife's face, "Alright." he laughed, "I wouldn't want to be the reason you got coal in your stocking."_

"Jeff?" Lady Penelope asked, "Are you still with us?"

"Hm?" Jeff blinked, "Yeah. Um...let me fix the tree."

* * *

Gordon watched as Scott hung the lights, "Hey! You'd better watch it! You're not being very careful on that ladder!"

"Shut up!" Scott shouted back at his younger brother.

Alan walked up to Gordon. The two were still at odds over TinTin, but on civil speaking terms. Especially since Gordon's accident in the earthquake. He gave a weak smile to his brother, but didn't say anything.

"You all right Alan?" Gordon asked.

"I'm...um...worried about dad." Alan stammered.

"Give him a break!" Scott shouted, "He's always upset around Christmas time. It's painful on all of us. But...you know."

"He seems worse than last year." Alan stated.

Gordon sighed, "Yeah, I noticed that. I think it's because we're going all out."

"Lady P will cheer him up." Scott said, "But we'll all keep an eye on him."

"Sex doesn't cure everything Scott!" Gordon bellowed to his brother.

"Gordon! EW!" Alan and Scott shouted at the same time.

"Should I tell Manda she's not getting laid tonight?" Gordon laughed.

"Alan! Slap him!"

* * *

Christmas day came all too soon for Jeff Tracy. He smiled as he watched John trying to get his daughter interested in her presents, but mostly, she just cried.

"She can't even sit up by herself." Virgil snickered, "You expect her to stay calm?"

_"Take a picture Jeff!" Lucille laughed as Scott at the tender age of just over 1 ripped through the wrapping paper._

_"Baby, we ran out of film on the first five presents." Jeff snickered._

_"I told you we should have gotten more film."_

_"I should buy stock in Kodak."_

_"Wee!" Scott laughed. Paper was everywhere. He seemed exceptionally excited about this big square present. _

_"Oh look!" Jeff said once the paper was shredded, "Someone got you a ball pit!"_

_About three hours later, a very exhausted Jeff looked at the ball pit proudly. It was now full of air and ready to be played in._

_"I don't think he wants the ball pit after all." Lucille sighed. Jeff shook his head as he saw a very content Scott crawling around in a very large box._

_"Well, Christmas could have been a lot cheaper if we knew he liked boxes."_

"What's wrong dad?" Scott asked when he noticed his father was just looking at him.

"Nothing." he grinned, "Just remembering you when you were little."

"Uh-oh." Alan whispered to Gordon, "I told you."

"I didn't cry over my presents did I?" Scott asked.

"No." Jeff laughed, "you liked boxes."

"So did Virgil." John laughed, "Remember the TV box?"

"Shut up!" Virgil grinned.

"I'm going to go...get something to drink." Jeff stood up and left the room. Alan started to stand when Lady Penelope stopped him.

"I'll go bother him." She sighed.

* * *

Jeff stood in the doorway and looked at the kitchen. It was full of food, just ready for a Christmas meal.

_"Gordon!" Lucille laughed, "Stop making things out of your mashed potatoes!" _

_"Ew." Virgil made a face, "Mom! Scott's making see-food faces!"_

_"Scott!" Jeff said, "Don't do that."_

_"Look dad!" John shouted excitedly while looking at his potatoes, "It's the Death Star!"_

_"Very nice son." Jeff smiled._

_"Mom!" Gordon shouted, "Johnny got to make something out of his potatoes!"_

_"John eat your potatoes." Lucille shot Jeff a look, "stop encouraging them!"_

_Jeff tried not to laugh and lowered his head so his wife wouldn't see the huge grin on his face. _

_"Ew! Scott stop it!" Virgil wailed._

_"Scott!"_

_"Haha!" Gordon shouted as he took his corn on the cob and flung it at John's Death Star. John watched in horror as his masterpice was destoryed, "Luke Skywalker saves the day!"_

_"MOM!"_

_Alan, barely a year laughed, "Yay!" He shouted as he mimicked Gordon. He flung his corn on the cob, but it didn't land on John's potatoes. It hit John on the head._

_"MOM!"_

_"You go Alan!" Gordon laughed._

_"MOM!"_

Jeff smiled as the memory seemed to unfold before his very eyes. It was almost as if he were living every moment over again. And then, everything took a turn for the worse.

_"Why don't we have a Christmas tree this year daddy?" Alan asked._

_"Shhh." John picked up the young boy. He looked at his father for some kind of answer, but Jeff gave him none._

_"They ran out of Christmas trees Allie." Scott said, tears in his eyes._

_"But Santa.."_

_"Will find his way here just the same." Virgil assured him._

_"Do you think he'll bring mommy back?" Alan asked._

"Damn." Jeff sighed.

She walked up behind him and kissed the back of his neck, "Are you okay?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back.

"Yeah." He said slowly, "Christmas is just hard on me. Like every other holiday I guess."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." He laughed, "What is it with you and talking about things?"

"Well, it's what normal people do when things bother them." She grinned, "And I care about you."

He smiled and took her hand, "Come here." He laughed as she stepped in front of him.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"You!" he said, "You're crazy. I...I don't understand you at all. You turned my life upside down and drive me up the wall!"

"Oh really?" she asked as she shot him a "what-are-you-getting-at" look.

"Yes really." He laughed, "And...I love you."

"Jeff..." she didn't have much of a chance to respond as he leaned over and kissed her.

"See?" Virgil whispered to Gordon, "Mistletoe has a _very_ strange effect on people. Even when they don't realize it's there."

Gordon looked up at the doorway and smiled when he spotted the mistletoe Virgil was talking about, "I'm getting sick." He whispered with his devilish grin, "Let's get out of here."


End file.
